Difference Between Pump and Turbine

Pump and turbine are two devices that are widely used in many industries. The turbine is a device that is capable of gathering energy and converting it to work. The pump is a device that is used to move fluids. Both of these devices are very important in fields such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, constructions, power generation, automobile engineering and numerous other fields. In this article, we are going to discuss what turbine and pump are, the operational principles behind turbine and pump, the types and variations of turbines and pumps, and finally the difference between turbine and pump.

Pump

A pump is a device that is used to move fluids. Pumps use mechanical energy to transfer these fluids. The most common example for the pump is the air compressor. It takes air from outside and transfer it to the inside overcoming the pressure of the gas inside. The pump is the device which does the work on the fluid in order to get it to a higher energy or entropy state. Most of the mechanical pumps are based on a rotary motion. There are pumps that operate on a linear motion too. Most pumps are driven by either electric motors or fuel engines. A pump does not convert energy to different forms; it rather directs the energy on a desired way. Some energy is always lost as sound, vibrations, and heat; therefore, a pump is not 100% efficient. The three main types of pumps are known as direct lift pumps, displacement pumps, and gravity pumps.

Turbine

A turbine is a device that is capable of absorbing energy from a given fluid stream and converting it to useful work. A turbine consists of a shaft or an axel which can be rotated around its own central cylindrical axis and blades attached to it. The blades of a turbine have the shape of the blades of a fan. An incoming fluid stream causes the axel to turn. This is the reverse process of a fan. This motion gives a uniform circular motion at the tip of the turbine. This end can be connected to a dynamo to produce energy. It can be connected to a pump to drive water from a deep well to a tank. Windmills and waterwheels are some of the oldest turbines. A turbine loses energy in the form of friction, sound, heat, and vibrations. This means the turbine is not a 100% efficient machine.

What is the difference between Turbine and Pump?

• A pump absorbs useful energy and converts it to kinetic energy and gives it to a fluid stream.

• The turbine does the exact opposite as it absorbs energy from a fluid stream and converts it to work.

• A pump increases the energy of the fluid stream whereas a turbine decreases the energy.